Traditional chants, a costume play or
cosplay and spoken-word performances are some of the events included at the
Performatura 2017: Performance Literature Festival, to be held from March 31 to
April 2 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City.
A prelude to
the celebration of National Literature Month in April, the festival celebrates
the richness of Philippine literature, underscores the connectedness of the
written and the performative, as well as entices more people to appreciate literature.
Filipinos,
generally, are not much of a reading people, but can be eager audience of
shows, and performances are ways for them to know the works of Filipino
writers. In the last couple of years, spoken-word performances became quite
popular in the country. Poems and monologs on love, recited and acted out on
stage, found avid audiences, most of them young, in theaters and bars.
Literary
performances are not recent development though. Many literatures in the
Philippines started out being performed, and a prime example is the number of
epics, which are chanted from memory. And throughout history, poetry readings
and performances based on texts have been put up. The traditional performances,
as well as the latest trends are featured in Performatura, which is organized
by CCP Intertextual Division, formerly the CCP Literature Division.
Performatura
was first held on November 6, 7 and 8, 2015. It was called Performatura
Festival: Performing Literatures, to celebrate National Reading Month. Its aim
was to highlight Philippine literature and its interconnections with other
forms of arts, as well as the connection of artists to their audiences,
according to writer Herminio Beltran Jr., who was one of the brains behind the
festival.
The
title was coined by the festival director Vim Nadera, a poet who is known for
his performance art. It combines the words performance and oratura. Oratura
was derived from orature, a term coined by Ugandan linguist Pio Zirimu,
who wanted to raise oral literature to the level of written literature. In
Performatura, the intersections of the written word and performance and
intertextuality are emphasized.
The
three-day biennial this year will be filled with poetry readings, cultural
performances, film showings, marathon readings, a book fair and forums with
artists and writers all day long, from nine in the morning to nine in the
evening. It will showcase numerous artists—writers, performers and
writer-performers. While entrance to the festival will be practically free, the
organizers will be requiring attendees to donate a book as admission ticket.
Each donation will go to the CCP’s partner libraries.
Balagtas.
Boom!
This year’s
Performatura takes on the theme, “Sa loob at labas ng bayan kong sawi”
(In and outside my forlorn country), a line from Francisco “Balagtas”
Baltazar’s most famous metrical romance, Florante at Laura. While
featuring works commenting and contemplating on the state of the country, the
theme is really an homage to nineteenth-century poet Baltazar, widely considered
the greatest of Filipino poets, and his immortal contributions to Philippine
literature.
Performatura
wants to make Balagtas, Baltazar’s penname, and his works perennially hip,
especially among millennials. Thus, it will be holding a cosplay or costume play
based on his life and works called Franciscosplay. It is a contest where
participants must dress up as characters from Florante at Laura and
recite at least three stanzas of the character they are portraying. The cosplay
event will happen in afternoon of April 2, the 229th birth anniversary of
Balagtas, at the CCP’s Little Theater.
Participants
will be judged on characterization (how well the cosplayers act or embody the
characters they’re playing), costume design, audience impact and delivery (how
well the cosplayer delivered the lines they’ve chosen from Florante at Laura).
Winners will receive cash prize (as much as P5,000) and gift certificates from
Microtel Puerto Princesa and Santo Tomas, Batangas. The audience is also
encouraged to be in costume, for they can bag a special prize for being the
most creative.
Aside
from Franciscosplay, other Balagtas-related activities include marathon
readings of his works at the CCP Promenade the whole afternoon. The series
includes La India Elegante y el Negrito Amante on March 31 by the
children from Dagdag Dunong Reading Center, a civil organization that promotes
literacy; the komedya Orosman at Zafira on April 1 by members of the
Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books Club; and of the Braille version of Florante at
Laura on April 2 by the students of the Philippine National School for the
Blind.
In
morning of Balagtas Day, April 2, National Artist for literature Bienvenido
Lumbera, CCP officials and Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) director general
Roberto Añonuevo will lay a wreath at his shrine in Pandacan, Manila, where the
poet lived part of his life. The program will include performances by
Pandacan-based Teatro Balagtas and the past winners of KWF’s Makata ng Taon,
Christian Rey Pilares (2015), Louie Jon Sanchez (2006, 2009 and 2011) and Mark
Anthony Angeles (2016). This will be followed by a short cultural tour of the
district, called “Lakbay-Kamalaysayan,” led by Samahang Sining at Kultura ng
Pilipinas.
The
Opening
Performatura Festival will open on
March 31 at nine in the morning at the CCP Little Theater, where National
Artist for literature Virgilio Almario, who is also the chairman of the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts and KWF, will deliver a message.
The opening program will also be graced by CCP vice president and artistic
director Chris Millado and Beltran, and will have performances by Jean Ariane
Flores, the winner of the seventh Maria Carpena Kundiman Song Festival; Anino
Shadowplay Collective; and Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-Gapi), the
ethnic music and dance ensemble of the University of the Philippines (UP)
College of Arts and Letters.
The
opening will also see the launch of Akdang Buhay, a project of the UP’s
Institute of Creative Writing which will come out with biographies of National
Artists for literature and other major Filipino writers. It will be led by
writer and professor Dr. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo.
This
will be followed by opening of the book fair of National Book Development Board
(NBDB), Ex Libris: NBDB Book Fair, at the Little Theater Lobby, and will be
open until six in the evening of the duration of the festival.
The
second day of the festival on April will also have an opening program in the
morning called “Paghahasik” (the act of sowing) at the CCP Promenade to
be graced by National Artist for literature F. Sionil Jose and highlighted by
performances of Sanghabi, a group focused on the use of indigenous musical
instruments, and the popularization of the Old Tagalog syllabary and Tausug
dance pangalay; poet Nerisa Guevara; and Tupada Action and Media Arts
(TAMA), known for “ambush” performances in public spaces.
Face-to-Face
Festival attendees will also get a
chance to hear artists talk on their crafts and interact with them in a series
on Gawad CCP awardees, happening from two to three in the afternoon at the
CCP’s MKP Hall for the three days. The first day will feature actress Nora
Aunor, while writer Leoncio Deriada, who is a leading promoter of Western
Visayan literature; and veteran screenwriter Ricardo Lee will be featured on
April 1 and 2 respectively.
Learning
About the Craft
The festival
also provides a venue to learn more about the different aspects of literature
and performance with its “Literaturo” series, every ten-thirty in the
morning until noon at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute. The sessions are “Poetry is
Our Second Language” on March 31; “Bukanegan” on April 1; and “Sarsuwelang
Sangang Nangabali” on April 2. Additionally, the forum “When Writing
Contest has Hidden Agenda and Other Horror Stories for the Millenial Writers”
and another on the rights of young writers will conducted at Silangan Hall,
from nine in the morning until noon, on April 2.
Text
to Screen
At the Dream Theater, selected films
will be shown at the section called “Peliteratura.” The opening day will
showcase films by artists Sari Dalena—Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos (2 to
3:45 p.m.) and Komikero Chronicles (4 to 6 p.m.). Giancarlo Abrahan’s Dagitab
will be shown on April 1 (2 to 4:30 p.m.) and Jim Libiran’s Tribu on
April 2 (2 to 4:30 p.m.).
Knowing
Cultural Roots
Performatura will also showcase
traditional literatures and performances from selected indigenous ethnic groups
of the Philippines in the series called Orature Overture, held every day from
three to five in the afternoon at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute. On March
31, the Visayan folk song called balitaw will be performed in Cebuano,
while the next day, T’boli chants will be performed by chanters from Lake Sebu,
South Cotabato. Orature Overture will move to the Silangan Hall on April 2 with
performance of the rajji, the Itbayaten version of the Ivatan lyric song
called laji, by performers from Itbayat, Batanes.
More Performances and Readings
During the
Performatura, poet, teacher and dancer Nerisa Guevara will debut her
performance art piece, Elegy 5, at the CCP Aquarium on April 1, 3 to 7
p.m.
On
the other hand, the popular spoken-word trend will be presented in the Hugot
Monologues series every afternoon (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.) at the Tanghalng Huseng
Batute. The title refers to the “hugot,” from the Filipino expression “may
pinaghuhugutan,” which refers to emotions drawn out or extracted from past
experiences, something bottled up and then let loose. Spoken-word performances
have become popular in the country mostly because they focus on “hugot”
that often the two—the form or format and subject—are almost one and the same.
The
first day will showcase Jann Altea, also known as Binibining Beats, from
Zamboanga City, while second day will showcase Ampalaya Monologues by Theatre
in Alternative Platforms, a contemporary theatre company based in southern
Metro Manila. Ampalaya Monologues is TAP’s popular play composed of a
series of monologues, mostly on “hugot.”
The
last day will feature Juan Miguel Severo, who is credited for being one of
those who popularized recent spoken-word performances, especially with his
appearances in the popular television series On the Wings of Love in
2015.
The
Women Playwrights International will mount the Never Again Script Reading
session or “readathon” at the Silangan Hall, 1:30 to 4 p.m., on March 31,
featuring Duyan Ka ng Magiting and Princess Lili.
Also
at same time and venue the next day, there will be a storytelling session by
Pinoy Storytellers Group and MAFIA (Mars and Friends in Action), a volunteer
group of mountaineers and teachers promoting the love of reading.
Every
evening, from seven to nine, poetry reading and musical numbers in a bar
setting will be put up at the Trellis, Figaro area, near the CCP Asean Park.
The first session of Park Poetry@Sev’s Café is called “Between Our Legs,”
hosted by Kankanaey writer Dumay Solinggay (Florenda Pedro). It will feature
Alab, a volunteer group of artists and cultural workers; White Wall, a poetry and
performance group; hip-hop artist and rapper Abra; and Words Anonymou, a
spoken-word performance group.
Folk
and rock singer-songwriter Heber Bartolome will perform on Park Poetry @ Sev’s
Cafe on April 2.Billed “From North to South” and hosted by the Batutes, this
session will feature the Baguio Writers Guild; Bukambibig, a group who is into
multilingual poetry performance; Gunglo dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano iti
Filipinas (Gumil Filipinas), the Ilocano writers group; Nagkahiusang
Magsusulaat sa Cagayan de Oro (Nagmac); and members of The Little Boy
Productions from Cebu.
The last session on April 2 is titled “Kay Ka Kiko,”
hosted by Cheska Lauengco of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (Lira). It
will showcase The Makatas; Happy Mondays; Kilometer 64 Writers' Collective;
Voltes ViM; and Lira, the group of poets in Filipino.
Each session
will have an open-mike portion for audience to participate.
Performatura
prides itself for the eclectic nature of its featured artists—from the
established to the emergent, from the refined to the radical, from the
traditional to the avant-garde. All of them will be gathered to celebrate
literature and art and connect to audiences.
“Not everyone
can say they have performed at the CCP. It’s a privilege that National Artists
and our best crafts-persons share,” said Nadera. “Now, it is an honor we are
giving to those who are practicing both new and ancient forms of performance
literature in the margins. Filipinos may not have heard of them, but their work
is just as important.”
For
more details, check the CCP Intertextual Division Facebook page or contact
Markus Aserit at e-mail ccpintertextualdivision@gmail.com, telephone
number 551-5959 or mobile number 0919-3175708.
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| Abra |
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| Alab |
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| Anino Shadowplay Collective |
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| Dumay Solinggay |
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| Jann Altea |
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| Jean Ariane Flores |
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| Kontra-Gapi |
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| Nora Aunor |
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| White Wall |
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| Words Anonymous |
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| Bukambibig |
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| Gumil |
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| Leoncio Deriada |
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| Nagmac |
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| Nerisa Guevara |
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| Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books |
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| Sanghabi |
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| Theater in Alternative Platforms |
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| Tupada |
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| Juan Miguel Severo |
